The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-18
The Air-Brakes Fail to Work and an Express
Train Leaves the Track-The Engineer
Killed and Many Passengers Injured.
Mr. and Mrs. Benson, Elderly People
from Winchester, Ind, Badly Bruised.
A Delay and Possible Disagreement of the
Coroner's Jury Investigating the Chats
worth Disaster-Other Accidents.
THE BRAKES WOULDN'T WORK.
Fatal Accident In the Washington Yards O
the Baltimore 81 Ohio Line.


Fatal Accident In the Washington Yards of
the Baltimore s. Ohio Line.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1.-THE few residents in
the neghborhood of the Baltimore g. Ohio ~"
who up and the street at $50 o'clock
this morning witnessed singular and startling
scene. 1t was no less spectacle than that of a
train of cars leaping from the track and rushing
with the speed of lightning and the crash of a
thunderbolt through brick house. In an in
stant the train and tn house were in heap of
ruins, and the track for some distance was lit
tered with debris. The train to which the acci-
dent occurred was train No 4. the St Louis,
Chicago & Cincinnati express. coming from the
West. About 630 it came laundering into the
city over the Metropolitan branch. and at
the curve, nearly a mile away from
the ''Y." began whistling down brakes" ;"
For some reason the brakes were not put down.
The air brakes, it is stated, did not work, and
the engineer began blowing his distress whistle
for the brakemen to put on the regular brakes
Either the brakemen did not heed the signal or
it was not given in time to be of use, for the
train, flying at frightful rate, came laundering
toward the sharp curve at the "Y." On the
south side of the ''Y," in the little corner made
by the intersection of the tracks, was located the
railroad signal tower, brick structure, three
stories high, where railroad men employed
to regulate the signals and the switches at the
''Y." When the train turned the sharp curve
of the "Y" with fearful headway, the cars be-
hind the engine flew the track and
smashed into the signal tower, and
in an instant there was a wreck which,
for confusion, has seldom been equaled in rail-
road annals The engine was dragged from the
track, ami ploughing through the dirt and mud
a distance of $50 feet, rolled completely
Near the engine lay Hamilton BI osius, the engi
neer, crushed and dying, and his fireman, with
several bones broken. But behind the engine
was scene of panic and confusion, One
crushed and nearly buried under the bricks
and timbers of the demolished building. Two
sleeping coaches and one passenger coach re-
mained on the track. The mail car. the express
car and the baggage were rolled over and their
sides crushed. The roof of one car protruded
from the ruins Of the building. The disaster, of
course, at once created intense excitement. A
fire alarm was sounded, which quickly
brought the fire department. and the police
TO the scene. Ambulances were hurredly sent
for and corps of physicians came. summoned
from every direction. Firemen, policemen
railroad men and citizens went to work with
coats off to clear out the debris. Many injured
passengers were removed and taken to neighbor-
ing houses drug stores, or to hospitals. In this
way eighteen or twenty people were got out of the
wreck, some of them only slightly Injured, 9TH
with bones broken and bodies badly bruised
and cut. In the signal tower, on the upper
floor. or observatory, William Baxter. a railroad
signal man. was at work. He realized the i'm
pending danger in time and leaped from the
tower to the ground He broke his arm in the
fall and w as badly used up, but seems to have
escaped more serious injury.
The only Indiana people known to have been
on board were Mr.. and Mrs. VIM. Benson, an ell
derly couple from Winchester, who were
their way to Reisterstown, Nd, where they pro-
pose to make their home They were in the
of all the cars, and remained upright near the
track. Mrs Benson, however, was badly
bruised, and was taken to a neighboring house
She said she had been in the ahead, but had
just changed to the car in which she was seated
when the accident occurred. "We had no no
tice." she said; some one in the car cried out
going very fast. he ard a crash and
pitched over, throwing me across the car; then
it rocked back. and did not know any more un-
til some came and took me out"
There were three railway mail service clerks
Messrs. c. II. Hooton. L. c. Morrell and J. III.
Brown-in the postal car at the time of the
accident. and although the nearly
demolished the men escaped with some bad
bruises and scratches. Hooton and Morrell live
in Baltimore
Mrs Augusta Barnes q lady on her way to her
home in Germany, had her head badly cut. She
had considerable money and her ticket to New
York and Germany. She was removed to
VIM. Buck a German, ffty-four years of age
was seriously and perhaps fatally injured. He,
with his wife, was his way from Cincinnati
to Germany. He received severe cuts on the
head his arm was badly wrenched, and he
also internally injured. He removed to
Providence Hospital by the police. His wife
was uninjured.
When the men began 20 clear away the wreck
there was man in the debris, very much excited
who would not leave. but showed fight. He dug
desperately at the broken timbers and heaps of
0E0 ia W. nrda arnH hvvu y1GiTr
man he turned savagely and said: IF you don't
leave me alone I'll knock - out of you. My son
is there" He was let alone, and continued his
desperate struggle until he had uncovered the
bruised and battered form of his son. Some of
the passengers on the wrecked track resumed
their journey to the East.
The following is believed to be full list of
the injured. They were sont to the Providence
Hospital. with the exception OF Healey and Bax-
ter:
Charles KOCH Cincinnati, badly injured in
the back.
Mrs. Charles Koch. Cincinnati slightly
shocked.
Charles Morrison, Cincinnati injured in the
back.
Frank Denauer, ST. Louis, shoulder dislo-
Gated.
j. n Smith, fireman, Cincinnati, both legs
Wilhelm Buck, Cincinnati, head cut badly.
Ed Leichmeyer, Cincinnati, slightly injured.
Jos. Healey, Washington, seriously injured.
VIM Baxter. telegraph oper ator, Washington,
painfully injured about the head.
Albert Thomas, of Washington, employed in
the express car collar bone and left shoulder in
jured. severe scalp wound and left eye probably
destroyed.
F. j. Fuchs Cincinnati, bruised badly.
Augusta Beard and child. Cincinnati, bruised.
Francis j. Tuck, Cincinnati. cut in right knee
and badly bruised.
Mrs. Augusta Bond, Cincinnati severe scalp
wound and bruises
Lizzie, Albert and Charlie Koch. Cincinnati,
all badly scratched.
The injuries OF Mr.. Koch may prove fatal.
The Chicago and Cincinnati sleepers did not
leave the track.
THE CHATSWORTH DISASTER
Delay of the Coroner's Jury IN Reaching